Drivers of vehicles often incur distractions while driving. These distractions can include the driver looking away from the path of travel to view objects within or outside the vehicle such as other people, animals, a vehicle console, a vehicle instrument, a phone, or another type of object. This can be unsafe and can increase the likelihood of an accident. Drivers are typically poorly calibrated to the duration and consequent implications of their gaze on objects other than the road. Systems exist for monitoring a gaze of a driver of a vehicle and when improper gazing occurs doing one of: issuing a visual or auditory warning to the driver; disabling a vehicle system being improperly viewed; automatically taking corrective action; shutting down the vehicle if improper viewing continues; or taking other types of corrective action. However, the driver may shut down such monitoring systems because they may become a nuisance to the driver.
A system and method is needed to alert a driver of a vehicle of the driver's improper viewing of objects other than the path of travel of the vehicle without becoming an undue nuisance to the driver.